Ongoing construction of the Quad has put a kink in the Corps of Cadets’ daily routine.

Texas A&M has embarked on a housing build spree that has turned parts of West Campus, the Commons and the Quad into active construction sites. The construction on the Quad has impacted the 2,400 cadets who called it home. As a result of the construction, many cadets live in different dorms, train in different places and experience Corps life in a way different from last year.

Ben Pico, cadet and international studies sophomore, said having cadets live in the Commons has caused some inconvenience.

“The placement of cadets in the Commons is very problematic,” Pico said. “I feel there are too many cadets per dorm and that makes showering after PT and eating more challenging.”

In addition, Pico said having large sections of the Corps’ usual domain blocked off by fences and caution tape has resulted in freshmen missing out on the type of training he received in their shoes.

“There are a lot of important training and traditions that go into how ‘fish’ are supposed to act on the Quad, and I feel that this generation will miss out on that and not be adequately prepared to train their fish in those traditions,” Pico said.

Not all members view the construction as a hindrance. History junior and cadet Sam Simmons said the changes have promoted leadership development. 

“For some, it’s an interesting opportunity to see how civilian students live in the Commons dorms. For others, it’s a little bit more lonely on the Quad,” Simmons said. “However, not much has changed. We still march in to football games, we still conduct formation and eat as a 2,500 cadet Corps in Duncan. It’s simply where we go to do these things that has changed.”

It’s not just the campus that is different. There are changes inside the dorm rooms that effect Corps members as well. Kyle Saathoff, cadet and agricultural leadership junior, said in each  new dorm room, he’s noticed the furniture is no longer mobile because it’s bolted down.

“This hurts cadets — namely fish — because they must keep all horizontal surfaces clean and free of dust,” Saathoff sad. “The increase of shelving increases the workload to simply keep the room up to par because more dust can settle during a given period.”

Deputy Corps Commander Matthew Vanderbloemen said as of now, the construction of the north side of the Quad is on schedule.

“If all goes according to schedule, then by the fall of 2017, the entire Quad will be renovated and the Corps will no longer occupy the Commons dorms,” Vanderbloemen said.

Despite the inconvenience that the Quad construction causes, Pico said the promised end result makes Corps members believe that it will be worth it.

“Despite these issues we all know that the underlying purpose is to make our campus more beautiful for our students,” Pico said. “No matter any inconvenience, I know that my Corps will handle all these things the best we can and will perform well regardless. It’s what we do, we get things done no matter what.”